'Survivor's' Rob No. 1 Gets Axed

By Todd Peterson

Friday February 20, 2004 10:15 AM EST

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Yahoo Buzz
• E-mail

Not even a violent thunderstorm -- which host Jeff Probst called one of the worst the game has ever seen -- could stop Chapera lovebirds "Boston" Rob and Amber from enjoying each other's charms and arms Thursday night on CBS's "Survivor: All-Stars."

"(They) are gonna do it," Chapera teammate Rob Cesternino observed. "I don't know when, but they've got the mats and the pillows. I wish those two the best of luck."

But by the end of the episode, it was Cesternino who was sorely in need of luck. The "Survivor: Amazon" veteran became the first member of the Chapera tribe to be voted off when the team failed to capitalize on its early lead during the Immunity Challenge.

After winning the episode's Reward Challenge, which included a portable shower and commode, the team seemed pretty certain they were unstoppable.

In the buildup to what was a drawn-out council, Chapera's overalls-wearing good ol' boy Tom, noted how smart Cesternino was. Rob C.'s brain, said Tom in one of the episode's more acute observations, could have helped the team in the final puzzle-building challenge, if he had participated.

Because Chapera had more remaining members than the other tribes, two people (Rob C. and Amber) had to sit out during the contest. While blindfolded, the team was able to quickly collect the puzzle pieces it needed. But when the eye patches came off, Chapera could not correctly assemble the 3-D puzzle ahead of the ailing Saboga or Mogo Mogo.

It proved to be an up-and-down three days for Saboga, who started the episode torn asunder by the storm that ravaged their camp. The underground hut that Rupert had insisted on building was destroyed, and the team was forced to endure hours of torrential rain with scarcely any shelter. With Saboga on the verge of imploding, Rupert called his hut "the dumbest idea of my life."

But it was sweet revenge for the four-person team as they handily won immunity, followed by a second-place finish for Mogo Mogo, as the contestants wrapped up their 12th day on the island.